Reading time: 6 minutes | 1363 words
I Hated Breakfast!
To be honest I got to the point of hating breakfast. After years of oatmeal, milk, toast, cereal, bacon and eggs, and other typical breakfast foods I gave up.
Nothing made me feel good.
It felt like a waste of time.
I started skipping breakfast.
Until I learned that skipping breakfast may kill me. That got me thinking I had to change.
I Didn’t Know Where to Start...
Knowing that skipping breakfast cuts my life short doesn’t automatically change the way I do breakfast. Life is busy. Making a full on Sunday brunch takes a lot of work. I hate clean up. Everything quick and easy seems unhealthy and leaves me feeling empty all morning.
Things really turned around after Hotep Jesus twisted my arm and said that I should try a vegan hotep diet. I met Project Rook who coached me through the first few months. What I found might not exactly work for you but might help you find the direction you need if you are tired of skipping breakfast and putting your life at risk.
Step 1: Turn Breakfast Into Your Power Ritual
I never skip breakfast anymore. It is my daily ritual, my routine with a set order of steps that I force myself to complete until it becomes my habit. By ritualizing my breakfast I am actively reinforcing positive habits that bring me success and eliminating those bad habits that limited my chance to find success. If you lead an undisciplined life, feel tossed and turned by the waves of life like I did, maybe this can help you start on a course to a more disciplined and success oriented lifestyle.
Here is my daily, non negotiable ritual that I do every day rain or shine.
Task 1: Shop Fresh
A great breakfast starts at your local grocery store. On the West Coast I favor Vons for the overall quality, price, and diversity of options. Banana, raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry are my standard purchases but I always add in 1 or 2 extra fruits like grapes, apples, blackberries, mangoes, oranges, pineapple, and anything else that catches my fancy. Just a personal note, I don't shop frozen because the quality is usually lower and the temptation to use a phone while drinking a smoothie is too high.
Task 2: Get Up
If you’ve experienced chronic illness like I have, getting out of bed is a challenge most days. Anticipating a delicious breakfast incentivizes me to move and start my day.
Task 3: Put My Phone Away To Charge
This allows me to focus my attention on my next steps and helps me set my mind straight. Leave the distractions behind!
Task 4: Pick 4 Fruits
Pick 4 fruits from my fruit basket and wash well and slice as needed. I like variety in breakfast and having mulitple types of fruits keeps breakfast from getting boring
Task 5: Add Honey or Maple Syrup
Pour a generous amount of raw unfiltered honey over fruit. Honey has many natural healing and antibacterial properties plus provides a healthy source of high caloric energy to keep me moving throughout the day. Always pick raw unfiltered USA made honey for peak health efficacy. If honey isn't your thing try adding high quality real maple syrup on your berry bowl. These healthy sugars help make sunflower seeds and other nuts easier to eat too!
Task 6: Go Outside and Face the Mountains
I know California weather is different than most places. As part of my healing journey getting out in the sun, breathing fresh air, and away from distractions ensures my mind and body are on the same course.
"Standing Hack. Eat breakfast standing with your bowl and spoon in hand so you won't be tempted to check your phone for distractions."
Vegan Hunter
Task 7: Before The First Bite, Express Gratitude
Gratitude sets my mind in a positive place and helps me prepare for opportunities.
Task 8: Joy In Eating
Its a follow up for gratitude and it helps me appreciate my food and keeps me thinking of new combinations. Finding joy in what I prepared keeps me thankful and looking forward to my next breakfast.
Task 9: Plan My Day
I like to go over my day and plan what I will do and what I want to happen.
Task 10: Quick Wash of the Bowl and Spoon
This concludes the ritual. Its easy to clean, no mess, and brings closure and a sense of accomplishment.
This is what I found works for me and helps me focus my attention on positive life giving directions. When I started my day distracted by twitter or the media I got a lot of stress and anxiety that ruined my day. Now I moderate that first by not starting my day with it and second by avoiding as much as possible.
Step 2: Speak Gratitude Over Breakfast
I used to take for granted the simple things in life.
Maybe every other week I would remember to be grateful but I felt it wasn't enough.
So I committed to daily expressing gratitude for the little things in life.
I’m grateful for the blue skies. In Korea I never saw the sky.
I’m grateful for a roof over my head. I came back to the US with nothing.
I’m grateful to breathe clean air. I wore a mask for years, all year long in Korea because of pollution.
I’m grateful for… weekly or daily positive things that happened to me.
I try to do this before the first bite because it makes that first bite more precious. It just tastes better somehow. It also trains my mind to expect and look for positive things in the moment and throughout the day. This allowed me to see opportunities that I normally would have missed because my mindset wasn't open for success. The more grateful I become, the more patience I have with my partner, family, and clients. The more I find to be grateful about, the more opportunities for growth appear.
Step 3: Focus Attention On You and Your Opportunities
Recently I watched Project Rook’s dive into the Matrix of Life and Health and her first opening scene really grabbed my brain.
"Where's your attention?
Project Rook
If I know where your attention is I'll know where your thoughts are.
If I know where your thoughts are I'll know where your feelings are.
Once we see how you're feeling I'll have a general idea of your mood.
From there I'll be able to gauge your personality — which is your personal reality.
Life is good and if you don't believe then you need to adjust your lens."
That secret unlocked my mind. My mind was trapped and it felt like I had no control over my life. Now that I’ve started to free my mind I choose to give my attention to life giving activities. I choose to give my attention to building a better me.
MY thoughts are more organized, which led to positive thoughts, feelings of hope, positive moods, that help shape my reality into the one I desire and life is good.
Life is good.
Life is better.
Life is fuller.
Life is now what I choose it be, because I’m not trapped by bad habits.
Challenge To You The Reader
Where is your attention every morning?
What is your morning ritual?
What's your routine?
Is your mind open to opportunity?
How does your attention impact the rest of your day as you get ready?
What habits are holding your back?
I feel that these are a good place to start to learn about you and your habits. You don’t have to implement the same solution I found. This is what works for me and what works for you will be different. And hopefully finding your ritual will bring success and opportunities in to your life.
